Five Minus One Equals Four
by aprilgirl01
Summary: One day in Grimmauld Place, Harry stumbles upon a curious letter from Sirius, addressed to a Stefan Davis. Who is Stefan Davis? Why has nobody ever talked about him before? Could it have something to do with Remus?


**Disclaimer- I don't own HP**

 **A/N: This takes place before Hogwarts in OoTP, and the marauders' second year of school.**

 **I've had this idea for a long time- lots of people speculate that there could have been a fifth boy in the marauders' dorm room, and I personally find it hard to believe that Remus had enough luck to be sorted into the same house with only people who were sympathetic to his lycanthropy. So here's what I think really happened….**

 **I hope you like it!**

Remus Lupin blew softly into his cup of tea. Harry had won is case at the Ministry, Sirius was safe, and the Order was back on track. Sitting alone in the quiet kitchen, everything seemed… peaceful. Even though he knew it wasn't, not really.

A patter of footsteps sounded, and Remus turned in time to see Harry appear in the kitchen doorway.

"Remus, is that you? Oh, hi. I was looking for Sirius, I had a question…" Harry trailed off, looking hesitant.

Remus set down his tea. "Sirius is in a private meeting with Dumbledore right now. He'll be out soon. But for the meantime, you can ask me, if you want."

Harry shrugged and sat down. "Okay, well, I was walking- I happened upon- well, that's to say I-"

"So you were snooping around the house." Remus cut in. A small smile graced his lips. _Like James_ , the thought surfaced in his mind. He missed the elder Potter…

Remus snapped back to attention as Harry continued. "Well, yeah, you could say that. Anyway, I found this room full of books and journals and papers, a lot of it looked dark- illegal, as if people would want to hide incriminating papers in there."

"Go on," Remus was not surprised. How like Walburga and Orion to have had a room in which to hide their darker side….

"Well," Harry pulled a crumpled letter out of his pocket. "I found a letter in there that didn't seem to belong with the rest. It was from Sirius. I was wondering…"

Remus was confused. What could Sirius have been writing that he would want to be hidden from prying eyes?

"It was written to a Stefan Davis. Who's Stefan Davis?"

Remus went pale, reeling back in shock. He had not heard anybody speak that name in years….

" _So yeah, that's how I nearly got eaten by a grindylow!" Stefan finished his anecdote, and leaded back on the pillows of his bed in the Gryffindor second year boys' dormitory. In the bed on his left, Remus was laughing. Stefan had that ability- to tell a story and make everybody laugh._

" _That's crazy… Stefan… I can't… I just…" Remus was gasping for breath, winded from laughing so hard._

 _Stefan cracked a smile. "Ah, well, what can I say? It's just- hey!" A thundering below sounded on the stairs. "I think the others just got back."_

" _The others" referred to the three final members of their dormitory- James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. They had been at the library, "studying."_

 _The door to the dorm burst open. Stefan piped up, "Hey! I was just telling Remus about the carnivorous grindylow in my grandmother's pond. You want to hear-"_

 _The solemn looks on the threes' faces wiped the grins from Stefan's and Remus's faces._

" _Let's all just sit down," James suggested, "We need to talk."_

Harry was looking at Remus apprehensively. "Is… is everything okay? You just went kind of pale…"

Remus opened mouth to explain, but before he could, the kitchen door opened, and Sirius burst inside. "Hey Remus," he was grinning, "You'll never guess- oh, hey Harry, what-" he froze at the sight of Harry's bewildered face, and Remus's deathly pale one.

An icy cold seemed to envelope Remus. "Sirius," he was surprised how calm he sounded. "Sirius, why didn't you tell me that you were still in contact with Stefan Davis? I thought we made a pact."

Sirius's eyes widened. "What? How did you-"

"Harry found the letter." Remus cut in. "How could you? After what he did to us- to me? How could you betray our promise?"

" _James?" Remus asked tentatively, "Is everything okay?"_

 _Sirius's mouth twitched. "Everything's fine Remus… I think."_

 _Peter smiled, but it came across a bit like a grimace. "Everything's okay- I mean- it's just-"he hesitated, looking at Sirius._

 _Sirius nodded. "Go on, Peter. You can tell him."_

 _The shorter boy swallowed. "Well, it's only… we_ know _, Remus. We're not stupid…" he trailed off, biting his lip._

 _The blood drained from Remus's face. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't lose his friends. "You know? K-know what? There's nothing to know, after all." He tried his best to crack a re-assuring smile._

 _Stefan stood up. "Guys, what's going on? Remus, you're a horrible liar, can you please keep me in the loop here?" His brow was furrowed as he looked from James, Sirius, and Peter to Remus, and back again._

 _James crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, Remus. Stefan's right-you're possibly the worst liar I know." He smiled a tiny bit there. "So, yeah. We know you're a werewolf, Remus."_

"Remus, I didn't! I swear, I didn't, I would never betray you like that! Really, I-"

Remus held out his hand, and Harry reluctantly gave him the letter, which the former shoved under Sirius's nose. "That what's this, Sirius? Because unless I can't read, this letter says 'To Stefan Davis, From Sirius Black."

Sirius hesitated. "Okay, well, really, I only contacted him once. And I have an explanation, I really do. You've got to hear me out, Moony."

Remus stopped at the use of his childhood nickname, which Sirius had not called him in a long time. "Alright, Sirius. I'll listen. But this better be good."

 _Remus was going to vomit. He was going to vomit all over James, and then his secret would be out, because they knew the truth, and he really couldn't lie, not on the spot, and he didn't want to leave, but he knew he would have to, and-_

 _His internal panicking was cut off by laughter. Stefan was cracking up on his bed. "Nice one, James! Remus, a werewolf! That's a good one." He grinned at the four, then paused when none of them smiled back. "You-you are joking, right?"_

 _Sirius ignored him, turning instead to Remus. "Come on than, Remus, admit it." He looked Remus in the eye, and it was too hard for the later to lie, because Sirius had those eyes that looked right into you and didn't buy deception. And they knew anyway, so there really was no other option._

 _Remus looked away. In a voice that was really barely more than a whisper, he muttered, "Yeah. That's me, Remus Lupin, werewolf."_

 _Sirius caught his eye again, and moved towards him hesitantly. "Remus, we-"_

" _WHAT?" There was no laughter in Stefan's eyes now. "You've got to be joking, haven't you? You-you can't be, Remus, it can't be true, right?"_

 _There was a detectable note of fear in Stefan's voice. Remus knew that fear, and he really like where the conversation was heading. He opened his mouth to speak, but James beat him to it._

" _Don't be stupid, Stefan. I actually went to the library to look it up. And I don't go to the library. Ever." He grinned again. "Do we sound like we're joking?"_

 _Stefan swore. "Remus, you-"_

 _Remus started towards him, eyes pleading. Stefan recoiled harshly._

" _Don't touch me, werewolf!"_

 _He had been expecting it, realistically, but it still stung. A lot. "Stefan, I-"_

" _No." The eyes that looked at him were not the ones that usually looked at him, dancing with mischief and glee. These were cold, impersonal, and fearful. Mostly fearful._

" _No. You've been lying to us. What will you do next? Eat us in our sleeps?"_

 _Sirius fidgeted uncomfortably._

" _Stefan, I swear-"_

" _SHUT UP!" Stefan was trying to look mean, but nearly two years of rooming with the boy meant Remus knew him better that most people. Stefan was terrified, that was it. "Don't, don't talk. I don't want to hear your lies."_

 _James stepped forward, arms open in a calming gesture. "Woah. Guys. Relax."_

 _Stefan turned his eyes on James. "Don't you see? All those times he said he was visiting his sick mother- he was lying! Doesn't that just prove it? They're liars, werewolves, they are. He- he- can't be trusted! He's—"_

" _Enough." Peter, of all people, spoke up. "Stefan, don't you want to hear him out? Don't make judgements so quickly."_

 _Stefan frowned. "Don't be so gullible, Pete. Your parents are wizards, you know what_ their _kind is like."_

 _Sirius stepped up, and his voice was low and dangerous. "Really, Stefan? You're going to judge one of your best friends on something he had no control over? That's what your family would want." He spoke that last sentence harshly. That made Stefan stop talking._

 _Remus was shaking. He didn't understand, Sirius, James, and Peter's behavior, but he did understand Stefan's. Because that's how everybody else always reacted…._

" _Remus, do you think we are like everybody else?" Remus hadn't realized he had said that bit out loud until James had spoken. The bespectacled boy ran his hand through his hair, grinning a little. "Remus, we're not everybody else. We're your_ friends _."_

 _Remus looked up, frowning quizzically. "I don't… I don't understand…"_

 _Peter put his arm around Remus. "Do we really have to be blunt? You're supposed to be the smart one here. We don't care, Remus."_

"It was after- after Azkaban," Sirius's voice shook a little on the last word. "I- I don't know. I knew James was gone, and Peter was-well- a traitor, and you thought that I was, and I don't know, I needed someone, and I figured if you thought I was a traitor, than I might as well actually be one. So yeah, I wrote him. Did you actually read it?"

Remus flushed a little. "No…"

Sirius smirked. "That's okay. I only told him that I was wondering if he had space in his flat, or wherever he was living, and if he would mind if I dropped by. I asked him if he had matured at all, and if he had changed his views. He never wrote back and I gave up on it."

Remus didn't know what to say.

"Hold on."

Both men had completely forgotten that Harry was in the room.

"Wait a sec," the fifteen year old continued, "Who is this guy? Why haven't you told me about him?"

Sirius sighed. "Harry… our history with Stefan Davis is complicated. He was my friend, and Remus's, your father's-"

"What?" Harry looked baffled.

"Yes." Remus picked up. "Your father- all of us, really- were very close with Stefan. He was in our dormitory at Hogwarts, you know. At least, until second year…"

He trailed off, and Harry looked at him sharply. "What happened?"

Remus shrugged. "I've told you that your father, Sirius, and Peter," he said the last name with a small amount of venom attached, "accepted me, despite my being a werewolf. Stefan-he-"Remus swallowed, suddenly unable to continue.

Thankfully, Sirius could sense Remus's stiffness, and continued. "Stefan couldn't look past his prejudices. He was much like me, you know. We both wanted nothing to do with our bigoted, pureblooded families, or their views. At least, Stefan said he didn't. But he couldn't handle rooming with a werewolf, even though it was only Remus." Sirius's expression was unreadable.

Harry didn't look sated. "Then what happened?"

 _The taller boy could hardly believe his ears. "Really?"_

 _Sirius cracked a slight smile. "Really. You're still Remus to us. Just… slightly hairier… and a little more wolfish… and-"_

 _James started to laugh a little. "You've just got a furry little problem, that's all."_

 _Remus raised an eyebrow. "I don't have a pet rabbit, James. I_ am _the furry little problem."_

 _James shrugged. "Only once a month. The rest of the time… I'm pretty sure I could take you."_

 _Peter snickered. Remus smiled a little tentatively._

" _Wait!" The outburst came from Stefan's bed. "You can't just accept that! He- he's a werewolf! He's dangerous! He-he could eat us!" His voice was becoming steadily higher pitched._

 _None of them noticed Peter slipping quietly out of the room._

 _Remus looked at James, scared he would see Stefan's look of terror on the quidditch player's face. James caught his eye, and Remus saw anger._

" _Stefan." James's voice was tart. "This is Remus you're talking about. If he hasn't eaten us in our sleep yet, what are the odds that he ever will?"_

" _Don't ask me to fathom the ways in which the werewolf's mind works." Stefan scorned. Just then, the door opened, and Peter re-appeared, and trailing behind him was none other than Professor McGonagall._

" _What's going on?" The tip of the professor's nose was white, and Remus guessed that she already had a pretty good idea of what the issue was. "Mr. Davis, lower your voice."_

 _Stefan spoke quickly. "Ma'am, Remus is a werewolf!"_

" _I am aware." McGonagall spoke slowly. She didn't look surprised, or angry, just disappointed in Stefan._

" _Then-then how could you have let him room with us? He could have bitten any of us! Please, professor, he's not safe. He's got to leave."_

 _Now the professor looked angry. "If you wish, we can arrange for you to sleep in a separate dormitory, Mr. Davis. But Mr. Lupin has every right that you do to be here."_

 _Stefan shook his head adamantly. He looked at Remus, who couldn't find it in himself to meet the former's eyes, and James, Sirius, and Peter, whose faces showed everything from annoyance, to hostility, to confusion._

 _Stefan gulped. "Professor… can I speak with you privately, please?"_

 _Professor McGonagall scanned the faces in the room, nodded curtly, and swept out of the room, Stefan closely behind. Before the door closed, Remus caught sight of Stefan's pale, scared face, a look of anger, terror, and hatred in his eyes._

 _And that was the last that any of the others ever saw of Stefan Davis._

Remus closed his eyes, blocking out all of the memories that surged into his brain. "He… well… he demanded I be… removed from the school. When McGonagall would not agree to that, he asked to talk with her privately. None of us ever saw him again. Dumbledore told us that he was sworn to secrecy and transferred to Durmstrang, like his parents had wanted in the first place."

 _The next evening, the four young Gryffindors were seated in a circle on the floor of their dorm, holding court. Sirius spoke._

" _I think we can all agree…" he took a deep breath, and continued, "that Stefan Davis's name is mud here, now."_

 _Peter nodded. "Yeah, he betrayed Remus, which means he betrayed all of us."_

 _James looked at Peter critically. "You're right, Pete. He did… and if there's anything to do, it's to make a pact. A pact to never speak his name, or ever mention him again. Agreed?"_

" _Agreed!" Peter bobbed his head up and down vigorously._

 _Sirius bit his lip. Then looked at Remus, and strengthened his resolve. "Agreed."_

 _Remus looked at the others quietly. He was still getting used to the fact that these three knew his secret, and were actually okay with it. They didn't hate him. Affection for his friends swelled up inside of him, and pushed out the word. "Agreed."_

 _And then it was as if Stefan had never existed- they never spoke of him, his bed was removed the very next day, and all reminiscing excluded him._

 _It was as if only four boys had been sorted into Gryffindor in 1969._

 **A/N: Alright, guys. I've had that idea in my head for such a long time, it's such a relief to write it out! If you liked it, if you hated it, or anywhere in between, please let me know! Review below!**


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